Officials in Spain have used a new way to identify missing cow remains.
Scientists at the Spanish Institute of Cattle Research and Advanced Industry (ISRA) identified remains from a cow that died in April of 1902, The Guardian reported. The 18-month-old bull, whose name is Grisono Zoccón, was farmed in an area near Zaragoza, according to the daily.
“It appears to have belonged to a company who used bulls exported from elsewhere,” ISRA Director Maria Jiménez told the daily. “Samples have now been sent to two laboratories. Grisono’s son is in line to receive a centenary gift from his great-grandmother. The bonus will be one kilo of beef beef.”
Scientists used a unique technique called micro-necropsy. These animals are killed by injection. In the case of deceased bulls, fragments of flesh from the tail and spine are examined from inside the skull. The micro-necropsy allows scientists to get a precise image of the remains, and was developed by Raja Sobri, a forensic medical examiner.
“The micro-necropsy has been developed by Professor Sobri for all kinds of animals, because it’s practical and reliable,” Jiménez told The Guardian. “When in difficulty, a micro-necropsy is the answer, and you can develop the same image with pigs, chickens and sheep.”
After the animal is first examined, a process known as necropsy is carried out so as to remove any entrails from the bones, The Guardian reported. Photos, measurements and DNA is all taken on top of this.